Americans Borrowed $88 Billion in Past Year to Pay for Health Care

Many do not seek treatment for health issues due to cost or reduce spending to pay for health care

TUESDAY, April 2, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- About one in eight Americans borrowed a total of $88 billion in the past year to pay for health care, a new West Health-Gallup survey shows.

The survey also found that 65 million adults said they did not seek treatment for a health issue due to cost, and nearly a quarter reduced spending to pay for health care or medicine, CNN reported.

"Not only do you have a real significant number that are deferring care, forgoing care altogether, you also have a big chunk that are getting the care but having to borrow to get it," Gallup senior researcher Dan Witters told CNN. "There are few Americans out there who are safe from the American health care cost crisis."

In 2017, the United States spent more than $10,700 per person on health care, according to federal data, CNN reported. Even though that is more than any other country, the United States consistently finishes near the bottom in health care measures among developed nations, the survey shows.